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Hope Quote by Marcel Proust

“I knew very well that this hope was chimerical. I was like a pauper who mingles fewer tears with his dry bread if he tells himself that at any moment a stranger will bequeath to him his fortune. We must all, in order to make reality more tolerable, keep alive in us a few little follies.” quote by Marcel Proust
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““I knew very well that this hope was chimerical. I was like a pauper who mingles fewer tears with his dry bread if he tells himself that at any moment a stranger will bequeath to him his fortune. We must all, in order to make reality more tolerable, keep alive in us a few little follies.””

Marcel Proust

About This Quote

Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 1, 1913

Hope can be an illusion, but small follies make life bearable.

In simple terms: Follies help endure harsh reality.

Key Takeaway

Embrace harmless fantasies.

Themes

hope illusion resilience

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • daily stress
  • loneliness
  • creative work
  • financial hardship

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

  • What harmless folly sustains you?
  • How do you balance hope and realism?
A Different Perspective

Relying on fantasies may prevent confronting problems.

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